As Hollywood Video locations in Beaumont and Port Arthur continue closing sales as part of the company's bankruptcy reorganization announced last week, the number of customers using alternative movie rental businesses continues to grow.

Economics is helping to drive free-standing movie stores like Hollywood and Blockbuster, which have higher operating expenses that include paying employees, out of business.

The trend now is toward Internet-based sources such as Netflix and kiosks like the ones operated by Redbox, which has more than 20 vending machines in Southeast Texas containing more than 600 DVDs each.

Customers can rent a movie for $1 a day with a credit or debit card. The card is charged when the customer brings back the movie, said Redbox spokesman Chris Goodrich.

Redbox customer Brigitte Burg, 52, of Beaumont said she was driven to the movie rental kiosks by higher prices at local movie rental stores.

"You're charged just a dollar a day if you keep it (movie) and you don't get charged interest for late fees like at some other places," she said of her reason for switching. "If you keep it more than 25 days, you get to keep it and get charged $25. That's a reasonable price."

David Rodriguez, owner of C&D Video in Fannett and Movieland in Groves, charges customers about $4.30 a movie for three days. Late fees are $1 a day.

"It's almost like the Redbox in a way," he said of his prices, adding that he hasn't seen a decline in his clientele in the wake of Redbox and Netflix.

Netflix, Blockbuster, iTunes, Hulu and other providers also offer on-line downloads and streaming movies that mean customers don't even have to leave their houses to get a movie.

As long as the technology changes and advances, there will be different ways for people to watch movies, Houston Chronicle film critic Biancolli said. Still, she doesn't think people will stop watching and going to the movies.

"I don't think the movie industry is in danger of hurting too much," she said. "They've been making money for 100 years and they aren't about to stop."